Moses e



no modem" v M; E. MYERS.

V GATE. No. 501,526. Patented July 18, I893.

P/J/Q /J/ Y S Mm 211 I Inventor Attorney O 0 O O O v. 1&5 H

' Witnesses:

(PIMMJLW.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MosEs E. MYERS, 0E CAMBRIDGE CITY, INDIANA.

GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 501,526, dated July 18, 1893.

Application filed February 4, 1892. $erial No. 420,328. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MOSES E. MYERS, of Cambridge GityflVayne county, Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to improvements in farm gates, and relates particularly to improved means for trussing and stiffening the gate.

My improvements will be readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1, is a perspective view of my improved gate, and Fig. 2, a perspective view of the truss shown separately.

In the drawings:-A, indicates the hingestile of the gate: B, the latch-stile of the gate: 0, the lower rail of the gate: D, the upper rail of the gate, the gate being of that well known form in which the horizontal rails are in the same vertical plane, the stiles and my rights being secured upon both sides of the rails: E, a rack-bar disposed upon the upper rail intermediate between the hinge-stile and the latch-stile and provided with ratchet-teeth facing toward the latch-stile: F, 'a shifting saddle resting upon the rack-bar and engaging the teeth thereof and inclined from the horizontal as hereinafter explained: G, wiresupporting ledges projecting from each side of the saddle: H, a wire-fastening secured near the upper end of the hinge-stile and adapted to be centrally engaged by the bend of a double wire: I, uprights disposed against the two faces of the rails intermediate. between the two stiles: J, a wire-fastening secured to the lower rail of the gate, forward of the rackbar, and provided with a notch to engage the bend of a double wire and having a width exceeding that of saddle F: K, a double wire engaging the fastening H and the fastening J, and with intermediate portions engaging the Wire-supports G of the saddle, the upper portion of the Wires, between the hinge-stile and the saddle, lying along above the top rail, and between the intermediate uprights which it passes, those portions of the wires forward of the saddle being disposed respectively upon the two sides of the gate: and L, stays at the tening is met.

top and bottom rails extending at each face of the gate, from the hinge-stile to the intermediate upright between the centerof the gate and the latch-stile. The wire extending between fastenings H and J and put under strained deflection by the saddle F, serves'in trussing the gate vertically. The saddle maybe shifted upon the' rack for the purpose of adjusting the strain of the Wires. Sag will eventually take place, by the stretching of the wires, and when that occurs itis only necessary to pry up the free end of the gate, thus putting extra slack into the wire, and then shift the saddle forward to engagenew teeth. When the liftingis relieved the gate will settledown and strain the wire and the strainof the wire will hold the saddle in its position on the rack. The wire'does not reach to the latch-stile of the gate, but only for ashort distance past the center, thus shortening the Wires and largely avoiding the evils due to stretching and to expansion. The rack rests upon the top of the rail and is there appropriately secured by nails or screws. The fastening J abuts against the front of the forward upright I whereby the strain of this fas- The stays L of themselves stifien the gate sidewise and at the same time meet the side strains due to the presence of the, truss wire. The upper end of the truss wire has its strains met by a direct pull against the rear of the hinge-stile. The up per ends of the wire attach centrally to the fastening H and from thence diverge to the saddle F and from thence diverge still farther to straddle the fastening J, the wire thus forming a suspension-truss stiffening the gate sidewise and straining from a point at the top of the hinge-stile. The ledges G of the saddle are at an angle to the horizontal but at a less acute angle than the forward portions of the truss-wires, whereby the deflecting bend of the wires, at the saddle, instead of being concentrated into one comparatively sharp bend is provided for by two easierbends. The lower portion of the truss-wire engagesa notch under the fastening J and may when loosened be shifted thereon, across the gate, in order to equalize the strain on the two wires or to correct warpage in the gate, but the frictional bite of the Wire on fastening J IOC is found sufficient toprevent slipping under strain. It wilPbere'adily seen that trussavire K acts as a vertical truss by means of the upward deflection given to the Wire,adeflection out of the right line from H to J. Now, disregarding the vertical trussing, each portion of the truss-wire tends to assumepositionin a vertical plane cutting its two points of end attachment. The saddle deflects the wire-5 portions inwardly from such normal plane, the Wires thus diverging from point H to the saddle and thence diverging at a still greater angle to their points of engagement at'fasten-" ing J. This inward straining of the wire portions out of their normal vertical planes causes the wireto form strainedside trusses. 5

I claimasmyiinvention 1. In agate, the combination, substantially," as set forth, of a wire-receiving attachment, directly secured to*t-he upperportionof the; hinge-stileand disposed in the vertical cen-., tral plane of the gate asset forth, a WlIQ-ID-i ceiving attachment at-an intermediate partj of the base of the gate and havinga'width, greater than the thickness of the gate, ashifting saddle, mounted upon theupper portion,

and hoi-izontallyout of direct lines between its points of engagement With said two Wire receiving attachments.

'2. In a gate, the combination, substantially as set forth, with a continuous truss-wire engaging the gateat the hinge-stile and at a point between the hinge-stile andlatch-stile,

of asa'ddle mounted for adjustment on the gate to deflect the two side portions of said truss-wire and wprov-ided withiwireereceiving l'ledges'extending lengthwiseof thesaddle in a plane substantially tparallel with -a line out- 1 ting said two points of-engagement of the wire with the gatenvherebyrthe wire receives two slight bends at its engagement withasadclle- *ledge.

MOSES MYERS. Witnesses:

JOSIAH REYNOLDS, J OI-IN A. MARKLEY. 

